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News
12 July 2006

Happy Birthday

Pet Shop Boys played the Exit Festival at Novi Sad in Serbia at 10.15 on
Sunday evening in front of an estimated audience of 40,000 (according to
local newspapers). They were followed at 12.15 am on July 10th by the
Scissor Sisters whose set Neil and Chris watched. Before their final encore,
Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters informed the audience that it was now Neil’s
birthday and got the entire crowd to join in and sing “Happy Birthday” to
Neil who promptly ran on the stage! Neil said that it was a very memorable
birthday moment. He, Chris, Jake, Sylvia Mason-James, Pete Gleadall and
others then went to enjoy Jeff Mills spinning in the spectacular Dance
Arena.

Neil and Chris spent most of Monday sightseeing in Belgrade before returning
to London on Tuesday.

Neil would like to thank all fans who have sent him cards or posted birthday
greetings to him via various fan forums and sites.

Fascinating fact: Nick Clow, the backing singer who is the “Neil”
doppleganger in Pet Shop Boys show (wearing the top hat etc) has the same
birthday as Neil.…

Pet Text
15 May 2026

The first preview of the Jonathan Harvey/Pet Shop Boys musical, “Closer to Heaven” was performed on this day in 2001 at the Arts Theatre in London, with the official press night following on May 31st. The original cast album was released several months later and is still available on streaming services.

Neil and Chris had originally started writing the musical together with Jonathan Harvey in 1996. “We wanted to write something that wasn’t Les Mis or Rent,” says Chris. “A play about contemporary life with contemporary music that was not long and boring.” 

Since its first run of shows in 2001, “Closer to Heaven” has returned to London theatre stages several times, most recently at the Turbine Theatre in 2024. It also premiered in Brisbane, Australia in 2005, in Brighton, UK in 2009 and in Dallas, USA in 2010. And one of its main characters, Billie Trix, returned in 2019 with her own one-woman show, “Musik”, also written by Jonathan Harvey with some new Tennant/Lowe songs.


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